New Shopping Center Under Construction

Sterling Plaza II will be located behind Sterling Plaza on Enterprise Street.

Construction has begun on a 22,555-square-foot retail shopping center behind Sterling Plaza and in front of Food Lion on Enterprise Street in Sterling Park.

The site will be called Sterling Plaza II, said Steven McRae, project manager of Forrester Construction Co., of Rockville, Md. Fried Companies Inc. of Springfield, owns both the original and new plaza.

Jeff DeSart, Fried Companies vice president of construction, said the owners decided to go forward with the project, because Sterling Plaza's retail space is full and leasing inquiries continue to filter in. Construction costs are estimated at $2.7 million, excluding land, permit costs, he said.

THE SHOPPING CENTER, which is slated to open Sept. 1, has room for as many as 15 small tenants, but it will likely have fewer, he said. Pepe's Restaurant in Sterling Plaza, for example, occupies three bays. A tenant at the new site could utilize only one bay or as many as five or six, depending on its size. Fried Companies is looking to fill Sterling Plaza II with businesses similar to those in the first plaza, which includes a florist, a fabric shop, several restaurants, a grocery store, and many other enterprises.

"We're going to upgrade from our existing center," DeSart said. "It's going to have a complete brick tower, with a standing seam roof and surface parking on all four sides."

The shopping center will feature the same hunter green as the current plaza and an external insulation and finish system. The latter is comprised of four to six inches of foam with a cement finish. DeSart said the system provides the modern look used for most commercial buildings and it serves as excellent insulation. "It's going to be on every new shopping center," he said.

C & C Trucking of Purcelville started grading the land at the intersection of Enterprise Street and East Maple Avenue last week, smoothing it out for a foundation.

McRae said his company has obtained a county permit to build the shell. "We turn it over [to Fried Companies Inc.] Aug. 12."

Bob Evans, the site supervisor, said that work includes installing a foundation, a building pad and utilities. They will employ 50 to 75 people during construction.